Category: Civicness

This is a quick post: if you’re taking advantage of the free rides offered by Putra LRT aka the Kelana Jaya line this 13 Sept – 15 Sept, note that you will still need to tap in using your concession card or your Touch N Go card. If you have neither, get the free tokens from the counter (thanks Bawang!). And in case you’re wondering, this is how the train looks like right now from Kerinchi to Abdullah Hukum. Yes, it’s that empty, and yes, usually packed like sardines at this hour.

One of the things about working in an advertising agency is that they are often so focused on positive messages that they forget about the negative ones.

I think this is the first year in a long time when I saw the date May 13 and thought, “ah it’s Friday the 13th yay it’s a friday” instead of “That explains all the stupid racial rhetoric we’ve been having.”

May 13, and especially on a Friday like this, is a rare coincidence. For those unaware, May 13, 1969, was the day modern Malaya met her first racial riot. It was one to leave lasting scars on the country, with one of them being the forced resignation of then-Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, who was succeeded by Tun Abdul Razak, father of the current Prime Minister. It also resulted in the NEP, a well-intentioned initiative to better the lot of the bumiputras in Malaysia.

It would be very tempting to make this as part of a conspiracy theory or as a “so this is how we came to where we are in Malaysia and thus where all corruption began” but today is not that kind of day.

I had a fairly good day, filled with laughter, headdesking with fun, and lots of exercise (my thighs promise they will kill me tomorrow). I am lucky and grateful that I have been blessed with the opportunity over the years to work with people who are not of my ethnicity (which isn’t difficult, considering I’m mixed) and so I will only say this.

Remember May 13, 1969, by all means, But remember too, that we have had many others that did not turn out as bloody. And remember that eternal vigilance, to watch the flame that threatens to burst into bloody conflagration through the machinations of politicians and our silence in not calling them out and our friends who follow their rhetoric, is the price we pay for this peace.

Remember.

Also, in case you were wondering, I actually forgot about the date. Was thinking about what to write and this came up, so… :p heh.

This is a quick one, in case you missed it over my Twitter and Facebook: right now, the Malaysian Government is considering a list of some 800 items to be added to the list of zero-rated GST items, which means customers will not be taxed for such items.

However, pads and tampons are NOT on that list. According to this, it’s because the ministry has NOT received any official petitions/requests for such an exemption. Thus, I’m asking everyone to write to them and request that period items, aka sanitary pads, tampons and menstrual cups be zero-rated (I am not sure if the last is GST-charged, to be honest.

Sign the petition, write the emails, and help us ask the Malaysian Government to STOP TAXING our periods.

if an anonymous person posts content said to be offensive on your Facebook wall, or if someone piggybacks your WiFi account and uploads a controversial document, you will be immediately deemed the publisher of the content and subject to prosecution under the relevant laws such as the Sedition Act.

The Sun originally stated that this second amendment will come into effect on June 1. However, according to Syahredzan Johan on Twitter, what comes into effect is a completely different amendment. I’ll be checking the headlines tomorrow to confirm.

That doesn’t change the fact that Nazri has said that this amendment will stay. The implementation has been stayed, but that doesn’t mean we can relax our vigilance. In fact, you should still sign the petition to stop this amendment from taking effect.